Transformation
by SHSAlumni
Summary: Lionel Luthor wants Chloe Sullivan dead. Luthors get what they want. Rated PG because it's a tad bit on the scary side.
1. Rearview mirror

I started writing this story before Lois moved to Smallville, so you're just going to have to pretend that she never came into the picture.

WARNING: I got very freaked-out and paranoid while writing this. If you are easily scared (like me), I suggest that you don't read this late at night. If you are really really really easily scared, I suggest that you don't read this at all.

Chapter One—Graduation day

Chloe Sullivan sat at her computer trying to write and finding little success. This was a predicament she'd rarely found herself in before. Never had she been so inarticulate, for she was a girl of many words. Frustrated, she allowed her head to fall on the keyboard. It did nothing to inspire her.

This was the one article she should have been able to write quickly—the one article she'd barely had to do any research for—the one article that she had known was coming since the beginning of freshman year. This was the last front page story of her senior year. This was a story about her graduation.

_On Tuesday, June the 6th, an approximate three-hundred and fifty teens at Smallville High School will transform from students into alumni. Dr. Steward Danver will speak in front of rgkhjfjhkgdfhdsjgk!!!_

"Gaaaaaaaugghh!" Had the janitors at Smallville High not already gone home for the night they would have been startled by the angry shriek emitted from the petite blonde's mouth.

In truth, it wasn't the article that kept Chloe from writing. She knew that next week of her life would be the last one before she was thrust into the real world, and this article made everything seem so…final. She'd worked her way into a top journalism school and had snagged a great scholarship that would allow her to spend her extra time at an internship rather than a summer job, but she was still hesitant to leave Smallville.

She'd complained to her father for so long about living in such a nowhere town, but Chloe found herself appalled at the notion of leaving the cozy village. She was definitely going to miss the warmth and the feeling of home that Smallville eminated.

The ringing of a cell phone shook Chloe from her deep thoughts. She drew a maroon Nokia from her butterflied handbag.

"Chloe Sullivan, budding young reporter, speaking", Chloe greeted the caller cheerily.

The only sound returned was heavy breathing reminiscent of that in horror movies. A shrill bell told Chloe that the person on the other end had hung up; she rolled her eyes and placed the phone back in the bag. It wasn't the first time she'd been threatened, and it no longer scared her.

Again the cell phone rang.

"Listen", Chloe began in an annoyed tone, "If you're some immature prankster trying to scare me, find someone who's an easier scare. If you're some freaky stalker person, find something a little less cliche. If you have actually something to say to me, I suggest you tell me instead of wasting my minutes."

"Chloe, what's going on?"

The reporter's mouth dropped wide open as she realized that it was her father on the line.

"There was just some prank-calling idiot that I thought was calling me back", Chloe explained, knowing her father would most likely force her to come home if he thought a stalker was after her, "It was nothing, really."

"Listen, Chlo' ", Gabe began, "Maybe you ought to come home. It's late at night, you're all alone, and you're getting calls from a possible lunatic."

"Dad", Chloe protested, "It's really nothing, and I need to get this article finished."

"You can finish it tomorrow, sweetheart", his tone implied that he meant business, " I'm worried about you.

Chloe grudgingly agreed and said goodbye. She packed up her iBook and headed out the door. The walk from the school building to her car was one she always dreaded on nights when she had stayed late at school, but she took a deep breath and raced to the car as fast as she could.

As much as she hated to admit it, Chloe had been scared ever since Lionel had been released from jail. She began carrying pepper spray and looked over her shoulder more often. Why, oh why, hadn't she parked closer to the school?

There was a rustling sound in the bushes behind her. Could it be one of Lionel's men? She opened the car door and placed her computer on the passenger's seat. She checked the back seat for anyone who might be waiting for her. There was another sound, louder this time. Chloe spun around, wielding only her car keys as a weapon.

Nobody was there.

Chloe jumped into her car, closed the door, and locked it. She pulled out of her parking spot and exited the lot. As she was driving away, she could have sworn she saw a man in the rearview mirror.


	2. Packing

Chloe pulled into the garage and ran into the house as quickly as she could. She checked all of the doors and windows to make sure that they were locked. Then she pulled all of the blinds and turned almost all of the lights on.

"Daddy", she cried when she had finished this task, "Oh Daddy, it was so scary. All the lights in the school were off, and I got this phone call, and this person was breathing really hard and everything. And then I left the school and I was all alone. And I heard a noise, but no one was there. And I left the parking lot and I looked in my rearview mirror and I thought someone was there. I was so scared and I thought I'd never see you again."

Gabe wrapped his arms tightly around his daughter and rocked her back and forth as she cried.

"Oh Daddy", she continued, "It all seems so silly now. I know that I was just imagining things, but I'm just gonna be jumpy for a few days and I just wanted to tell you how happy I am to see you. I love you."

"Baby", Gabe spoke softly after the tears had subsided, "I know you think you were imagining it, but I…I think that maybe you weren't. We know the phone call wasn't imaginary, and as much as I hate to tell you this, Lionel Luthor is not a forgiving man."

"No, Daddy, I must have been imagining it", Chloe was beginning to calm herself, "These years in Smallville have made me paranoid."

"That could be true, but maybe they've just made you alert", Gabe pushed, "Either way, I want to call Lex and let him know about this. He said that he would do his best protect you."

"Dad", a fully collected Chloe replied, "We can't wake Lex at this hour of night."

"Chloe", Gabe's voice was stern this time, "I think he can lose one night's sleep in the interest of your safety. Have you checked all the windows and doors?"

Chloe nodded as he reached for the phone and dialed Lex's number.

"Yes. Hello. Lex. This is Gabe."

"Chloe stayed late tonight to work at the Torch, and she got a phone call from either a maniac or a prankster. Normally I'd brush it off as the latter, but then when she was pulling out of the parking lot, she thought she saw a man in the rearview mirror. She swears now that she was imagining it but considering the circumstances…"

"All right. Just let us get some stuff together. Okay. See you then. Thank you."

"Chloe, pack up whatever you need until tomorrow", Gabe instructed, "We're going to stay at the mansion until Lex can figure something out. We can get more stuff tomorrow, so just get whatever you'll need tonight.

Chloe did as she was told, deciding on a few pairs of clothing and grabbing plenty of socks. She gathered a pillow, her backpack, and (of course) her laptop. She collected some brushes, and was deciding on what shampoo to bring when her father yelled to her to say that Lex was there.

Chloe closed the shower curtain and departed.

Lex and a very burly guy, whom Lex introduced as his bodyguard, were standing in the living room. The four of them carried Gabe's and Chloe's bags to the car in one trip.

Lex ushered them into the limo and closed the doors. Lex's bodyguard started the car, and they were off.

"Tell me everything that happened, in great detail", Lex instructed Chloe.

"I was working on a piece for the Torch's final edition, and I was the only one in the school", that fact made Chloe blush a bit with guilt. She knew that she should not have been in the school alone when someone very powerful was after her, "I was finished with everything, but the, um, last article. I had written about two sentences when my phone rang. I picked up and just heard breathing. Then whoever it was hung up. I figured it was just a prank call. When the phone rang again, I picked up and went off at my dad because I thought it was the prank person again.

"He told me that, if I had gotten a phone call like that from someone, I should just come home, so I packed up and started to leave. I thought I heard something moving twice, but then I didn't see anybody. I got into my car and drove off. When I was driving away, I thought I saw somebody in my rearview mirror, but I may have just been imagining it."

"I hate to tell you this", Lex began tentatively, "But there is a great possibility that that was my father's men. My father is a sadist. If he wants you dead, he'll make you suffer first. He'll make sure you know that your death could come at any moment before he finally gets it over with.

"I'll want both of you at the mansion until I can figure this thing out. Gabe, I'm going to tell plant security to be extra careful. No one will get in until I have authorized his or her entrance or until the guards have seen his or her Lexcorp ID. I don't think you're in quite as much danger.

"Chloe, no one has saved you or me or anyone else in Smallville quite as many times as Clark. I'm going to ask him to keep an eye on you while you're in school, but I don't think you have to worry that much when you are around so many other people. No more staying after school for the Torch. My bodyguard is going to drive you to school and take you back to the mansion afterwards. **Do not** go anywhere alone. Do you understand me?"

Chloe nodded solemnly. The rest of the ride was spent in silence. When they arrived at the mansion, Chloe plopped into her overcushioned bed, hugged Mr. BunBear tightly, and tried to sleep, but the scene in her rearview mirror replayed itself in her mind. Perhaps the man had not been a figment of her imagination.


	3. Shower Curtain

The next morning was surreal for Chloe. The events of the night before seemed too much like a horror novel to be true, but the fact that she was not at home reminded her all too well that it was not fiction.

The syrup saturated breakfast did some good to cheer her up, as did the limo ride to school. Clark had received Lex's call and was taking his responsibility seriously. Fortunately, Clark had not told anyone else of her situation. There were only a few days left of school and Chloe just wanted to go through them as normally as anyone could in Smallville.

The day was a long one, and Chloe couldn't help but imagine masked gunmen kidnapping her in the middle of Chemistry.

When the torturous day was finally over, Chloe was driven to the mansion by Lex's bodyguard whose name, she learned, was Max.

Chloe suddenly had a coffee craving, so she wandered around the house, wishing she had a map, until she found the kitchen. It was a big room with many culinary devices that Chloe could not recognize. She eventually found the coffee, and spent about thirty minutes deciding which of the sixty flavors she should try. She eventually decided one of the five exotic Hazelnut varieties.

The coffee maker whizzed and bubbled as Chloe prioritized her homework. She had a page of problems in math, and there was still that Torch article, which she was beginning to doubt would ever be finished.

The coffee maker buzzed, alerting Chloe that her Hawaiian Hazelnut was done. She poured it out of the pot into a stainless steel mug and sipped cautiously, so as not to burn her tongue.

There were footsteps. It was probably one of Lex's employees—probably. Chloe tried to comfort herself as she envisioned a man brandishing a gun popping through the door.

The footsteps were getting louder, and Chloe's breath became shallow.

The door opened.

Chloe screamed and threw her coffee up in the air. It splattered all over her shirt and jeans. She turned around to look at the face of the person in the kitchen.

It was Lex. He looked at her quizzically.

"I", Chloe stuttered, "I didn't realize it was you."

She grabbed a wad of paper towels and began wiping up the spilled coffee.

"I'll get someone to do that for you", Lex offered.

"No. No, its fine. I'm just a little shaken up is all." Chloe flashed him her trademark Everything-Is-All-Right-But-Its-Really-Not smile.

"Well, I came to tell you that we're driving over to your house now if you want to pack some more stuff", Lex explained.

Chloe finished cleaning and the four of them, Gabe, Chloe, Lex and Max, departed.

Chloe stuffed about half of her closet into a suitcase. She grabbed some accessories and important papers. Then she went into the bathroom, and started grabbing hair products. It took a lot to straighten and flip her hair in the morning. She turned to pull some stuff out of the shower. The shower curtain was pulled back.

She had closed it the night before.

"DAD, LEX", she screamed, "Someone has been here since last night."


	4. Close Call

"It might not be the best idea to continue going to school", Lex suggested.

They were sitting in Lex's study discussing plans of action. Chloe buried her head in her hands.

"No, I have to go", she protested, "There are only two days left. I really want to graduate.

"Chloe, you can still get your diploma. If you still have some tests to take, you can get them done at a later time", Lex explained, "They aren't going to take your diploma away because you missed two days of school."

"I'm finished with my finals, but I've still got one last edition of the Torch", Chloe explained, "I really, really don't want to miss my last two days of high school. I need to say goodbye."

"At the cost of your life? Chlo' I don't want to lose you", Gabe petitioned.

"Clark will be there', she reminded them, knowing it was a weak argument. If someone came after her with a gun, she knew that there was nothing Clark could do, "Please. Nobody is going to hurt me when I'm around that many people. Please."

They spent some time arguing, but Chloe won. The next morning she woke, ate her syrupy breakfast, and drove off in the limo. The day was slow again, but with only a day of school left, there was no work to be done in any of the classes.

The final bell rang, and Chloe walked outside to be picked up by Max. She was staring out onto the road wondering where he was when she felt a blunt object poking the small of her back.

She turned around and saw a man right behind her. Her eyes traveled downward until she saw what was being held above her hips.

It was a gun.

"Move", the man whispered, "And don't make a sound."

Chloe looked around desperately as she walked away. If she yelled for help, he would surely shoot her. Clark was there, talking with Lana.

"Clark", she muttered under her breath, wishing he could hear her, "Help me. Help me."

Clark's head spun around as though he had heard her. She caught his eye.

Clark's heart started pounding as he realized what was happening. The world became blue and silver as he looked to see the object threatening Chloe. He couldn't let the man know he knew what was going on.

"Chloe, how's that article coming along", Clark shouted, as he ran up to her as nonchalantly as he could.

"Crap", the man muttered, realizing that this boy would make a commotion if he saw the gun, "I'll be back, Miss Sullivan." He skulked away, concealing the gun, and Clark pretended like he was clueless until the man was out of sight.

"Oh Clark", Chloe cried and hugged him, "Thank you so much. I don't know how you knew, but thank you."

"I'm going to take you to the mansion", Clark spoke as he enveloped her, "You'll be safer there.

"Chloe, you are not going back to school", Lex instructed, "My father will stop at nothing. You can not stay in Smallville."

"What about college?", Chloe asked, bewildered, "I've gotten accepted to Metropolis U. He can trace me there."

"I'm sorry", Lex shook his head, "But my father with not end this until Chloe Sullivan is gone."

"What do you mean?" Lex didn't respond, and Chloe pressed on, "What do you mean?"

"Chloe, I mean that you can't be Chloe anymore", Lex explained, "We can fake your death. I can get you a new identity, but my father wants you dead. Chloe Sullivan must die."

Chloe was gone by the next day. She never saw the last edition of the Torch, but Smallville's class of '05 opened their papers that morning to read Chloe Sullivan's final article.


	5. The Daily Planet

Clark Kent pushed his glasses back to the top of his nose, and collected himself as he walked into the Daily Planet for his first day of work. He took a deep breath, entered the elevator, and pressed the correct buttons.

A now sober Mr. White gave Clark some instructions before introducing him to his new partner, a Ms. Lois Lane.

Clark's mouth nearly dropped open when he saw the face that was framed in the dyed brown hair.

Lois smiled, "So you're the Clark Kent who saved Mr. White's life. I've heard quite a lot about you. It almost feels as though I've met you."

"Perhaps", Clark smiled, "We knew each other in another lifetime..."


End file.
